The present invention relates to a new type of agrochemical granulated material, which is dispersible in water so as to produce a spray liquor that is ready for use.
Commercial forms of agrochemical active ingredients, that are dispersible in water, are conventional in practice. As well as liquid forms such as emulsion concentrates or suspension concentrates, solid forms such as granules that are dispersible in water, exist commercially. The chosen commercial formulation is basically determined by the physical parameters of the selected active ingredients and admixtures such as surfactants, emulsifiers or carriers. For example, for liquid active ingredients and admixtures, normally liquid commercial forms are chosen, and for solid ones the solid forms of preparation are chosen. In the case of liquid active ingredients, the liquid forms of preparation can normally contain higher concentrations of the active ingredient than the solid forms, but require stable transport containers such as canisters or casks, the return transport and cleaning or disposal of which after emptying give rise to additional costs. On the other hand, the solid forms of preparation may be transported in plastic bags or paper sacks, which can be easily folded up and disposed of after emptying, without giving rise to significant costs. The known solid commercial forms may also be selected for liquid active ingredients or liquid admixtures, if a high proportion of solid, absorbent carrier material is chosen. The proportion of liquid components consisting of active ingredient and admixtures in these dispersible, adsorbed, granulated materials may not in general exceed 20 to 25 percent by weight.
In agricultural practice, there is therefore a need for solid commercial forms, especially granular forms, which allow high proportions of liquid and waxy components such as active ingredients and admixtures to be incorporated therein.
In accordance with the invention, an agrochemical granulated material is prepared, which is dispersible in water and contains a mixture, that is liquid, gel-like or waxy at +25xc2x0 C., comprising at least one agrochemical active ingredient and at least one surface-active compound and a thickening agent. It optionally has an outer coating and is characterised in that the granulated material has plastic behaviour at 25xc2x0 C. These new type of granulated materials may contain up to 90% of liquid, gel-like or waxy constituents. The proportion of these constituents is in general preferably 40 to 90%.
An agrochemical granulated material which is dispersible in water, in terms of this application, is understood to be a granular composition for agrochemical active ingredients, which is present as granulated material in its commercial, transport and storage form, and which when preparing an aqueous dispersion breaks down in water automatically or with light stirring, to form a homogeneous, sprayable dispersion. At normal ambient temperature, these granulated materials exist as a coarse-grained, free-flowing, non-sticking or non-drying granulated material. Normally, the granulated materials according to the invention are dust-free.
Compared with the previously known dispersible granulated materials, which as such contain liquid contents such as active ingredients of surface-active compounds or liquid mixtures thereof, the granulated materials according to the invention are superior in that they only contain small proportions of solid carrier materials, that is, the granulatable raw material is not produced by adsorption of the liquid components on the solid inert carrier material. The maximum charge of granulated materials consisting of adsorptive carrier materials for liquid constituents is 20 to 25% according to present experience. In contrast, the granulated material according to the invention is a surfactant/matrix granulated material or an active ingredient/matrix granulated material, in which the agrochemical active ingredient is embedded in a matrix consisting of a surface-active material (surfactant), or the surfactant is embedded in a matrix consisting of an active ingredient. In the granulated materials according to the invention, these active ingredient/surfactant mixtures themselves have an aggregate state which is liquid, gel-like or waxy at +25xc2x0 C., and does not allow granular materials to be formed directly. In accordance with the invention, a granulated material with plastic behaviour is produced from such a mixture, whereby the agrochemical active ingredient is mixed with the surface-active compound to form a homogeneous mixture or dispersion, and this mixture is brought to a granulatable state by adding a small amount of an appropriate thickening agent, this mixture is granulated and the surface of the granulated material obtained is coated if required. This coating may serve to improve the fluidity of the granulated material.